No One Mourns The Wicked
by Requiem for a Fallen Angel
Summary: Sadly, this is my shitty first draft. I don't intend to continue it further until I'm completely satisfied with the style, storyline, etc. Eventually I will delete this version and put up a revised one.
1. Prologue

No One Mourns The Wicked

**Prologue**

_Present Day_

She was dying, that much he knew. Her once beautiful storm grey eyes were nowblack and shot through with blood. Everything about her seemed decaying, nearly lifeless.Her skin had become tinged with blue and violet hues. And every few moments she raised herhandkerchief to her blackened lips to keep him from seeing the blood she was continually coughing up. Dying, and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

"I'm sorry, love...I didn't think to put on any make-up." Even at a time like this, she could still find humor in the situation. He tried to laugh, but found his voice cracked. She smiled and he thought he saw a flicker of her old self return.

"Let me get you somewhere warmer, Mina. Hold on for a few more hours. The cure is almost finished. I promise..." She raised her hand, stroking his face lovingly.

"We both know that I don't have a few more hours, Severus." He lifter her easily and carried her to his study, looking longingly towards his lab as he set her on the sofa and knelt beside her. He cradled her fragile body close with a tenderness that was so unusual for the cold and bitter man.

"I could help you..." He tried again, almost pleading with her.

"No you can't, Severus. It's just...time for me to go. You know that even if you're not willing to admit it yet. You can't keep me here forever, as much as I'd love to stay with you. You have to let me go, Sev." Her eyes fluttering shut, he struggled to find the words for her. If only there were more time.

"I love you." He finally said, and leaned closer to give her a final kiss. She put a finger to his lips.

"And I you, but I don't want you to remember me this way. I want you to remember me as I was before all of this happened." He smiled at her, thinking back.

"I will, everyone will." She looked as though a burden had been lifted as she drew in her last breath.

"Don't forget me?"

"Never."

He sat, holding her for a long time after that. Death had done what life could not do  
for her. She merely looked as though she were sleeping. But that couldn't be, he knew, for  
her dreams had been haunted too.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_Present Day_

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to drink all that firewhiskey, Severus." Remus stated lightly as he came into the kitchen of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Piss off, Lupin." Remus shrugged, somewhat pleased. The professor's personality-such as it was- had returned.

"No need to be so kind, Severus." Remus muttered, "you aren't the only one who is grieving."

"She was my responsibility. I could've-no, _should _have saved her. I had the fucking cure!" With a dramatic sweep of his arm, Severus threw the empty bottle against the wall where it shattered instantly.

"She would have died sooner had you administered that unfinished potion to her." Remus thought to make him see the truth in this, but instead it infuriated him more. Severus left, making it clear that the conversation was finished.

Her living quarters were empty. Severus had half expected to see her curled up on the sofa reading a book or writing one. A thin layer of dust was beginning to coat the objects in the room. Molly Weasley obviously hadn't discovered where Mina had been staying all this time, he thought wryly. He

A sudden movement on the other side of the room caught his eye. Amon, Mina's Siamese kitten, had perched itself on a box beside the bed. He crossed the room to pick up the kitten and further examine the contents of the box. Inside the cedar chest was a collection of odds and ends. Nothing too special, he thought before examining each one. Until he realized what he was looking at. Calla lilies, ones he'd given her whenever she was in the infirmary. A pendant given on graduations day. A pair of earrings and a photo of them both plastered on her twentieth birthday.

"She kept all this?" He muttered looking to the cat for confirmation. Amon mewed in concord and budged Severus impatiently, who conjured up some milk for the starved kitten. Severus shook his head, filled with awe and guilt. How had this girl, whom he'd had almost nothing in common with, managed to get under his skin? It amazed and terrified him.He stood up quickly, wanting to get away from the mementos. Memories were coming back to him in full force, begging him to take action- to do something. _'Don't forget me..' _the words were haunting him constantly. Dumbledore hadn't even showed for the funeral. Severus spun about the room as though he were looking for something.

There! Parchment and a quill lay before him, and the now lit candles cast a warm golden glow over the abandoned room. The writing desk never looked so inviting. There was a story to tell.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

_**The Past- 1973 **_

_It's been said that people's paths cross our own for the express purpose of changing us a little more, shaping us into that final design that we've been striving for all our lives. For better or worse, one person is all it takes. Young or old it doesn't matter, just one person and that one moment when everything changes. For me that one person happened to be a rich little Ravenclaw by the Dominique Melodie Rennoir. She was...beyond words. Above my station in life, she was beautiful, and everyone came to love her. An exact opposite from myself._

"Have you heard about the new transfer? I was told she attended Durmstrang."

"Really?"

"You idiot, she came her from Beauxbatons- you know, that school in France."

For weeks now the school had been ablaze with gossip, rumors, and constant speculation about the new student.

"I heard she was kicked out for using unforgiveables on the other students. She comes from a family of witches and wizards who practice dark magic."

"Don't be ridiculous, she's in Ravenclaw- not Slytherin."

And so it went on. They simply had nothing better to talk about.

"I heard that she's part Veela."

"From her mother's side, if she even has one.."

"Well actually, I do have a very small amount of Veela blood in me. But that's on my father's side of the family, it's what makes us so charismatic."

The whispering stopped. The group of students were quite embarrassed at being caught. Immediately, they all began to disperse towards their classes.

"You're quite the enigma around here, you know?" A new voice had entered in behind the girl, and she turned to see who.

"So I hear."

"I'm Sirius." He said.

"I'm sure you are." The girl replied flippantly, running a hand through her unruly mass of curls.

"No, that's my name. Sirius Black." He gestured to three boys behind him. "My mates and I are all in Gryffindor. That's James, Peter, and Remus."

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm Dominique. Rennoir, that is. But please, just call me Mina."

"So, what's the story Mina?" James asked. "What brings you here? I mean, as fascinating as that theory is about you being expelled from Beauxbatons for murdering five students...I think I'm right in saying that's just gossip?"

Mina gave a little laugh startling the four. She sat down on one of the benches of the Great Hall and shrugged nonchalantly.

"Is that why everyone is scared of me? What can I say? I make a lasting first impression. I transferred to Hogwarts because my father's job required moving somewhere close to the ministry. He's the ambassador for the French Ministry of Magic, I'm sure you've heard of him." Mina paused for a moment, then after carefully examining their expressions she continued on, hiding a smile. "As for myself, I enjoy long moonlit walks on the beach, cozying up to that special someone next to a warm fire, and incidentally, I've never murdered anyone. And the thing about being part Veela was just to shut them up."

The four were silent for a moment, before Remus started laughing.

"Anything else you need to know?" Mina asked, already mentally berating herself for starting a new rumor about herself.

"I think that about covers it." Peter said, almost shyly.

"Good, I wouldn't want to bore you by prattling on about myself."

"I can't believe you're in Ravenclaw, you act more like a Gryffindor." Remus told her, shaking his head.

"Who cares? I rather like her." James stated as Sirius offered Mina his arm to walk her to class.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_**Past- 1974, Year 4**_

_I've never understood it but Mina was always able to make a friend out of everyone she met. It didn't matter that she was in Ravenclaw. She had an undeniable charm around her, everyone wanted to be associated with her. Everyone was a person to her. Hufflepuffs weren't pathetic, Gryffindor's weren't reckless idiots, and Slytherin's weren't...well, you know the stigma. There were no social and political barriers. Something I've never been able to get past._

It was October, the autumn foliage had just finished turning their brilliant colors and were beginning to fall. The sweeping lawns of Hogwarts were speckled with oranges, reds, and yellows of varying hue. The castle only looked more enchanting in the winter. Mina constantly had a wonderful urge to go out and admire the exquisite beauty of fall. Which was what she was doing at the moment. Oddly enough, she had even convinced Sirius to leave off his pranks and accompany her. He watched, amused and with a quirked eyebrow as she swept up handfuls of leaves and tossed them to the wind. It was one of her many whims, and Sirius found himself growing more fond of them everyday.

They were interrupted however, when Mina pointed out a lone figure on the opposite side of the lake.

"I wonder who that is." Mina said, not noticing the recognition on Sirius's face and the replacement of it with unaffected scorn.

"Snivellus." He muttered before clearing his throat. "Severus Snape, Mina. You don't want to get friendly towards him, he's a..." Sirius trailed off, gesturing wildly to find a word he could use to describe Snape.

"A what?" Mina asked, a frown now marring her features.

"A git, he dabbles in dark magic and he treats muggleborns like scum."

"Don't all Slytherins?" She questioned lightly. Sirius didn't seem to have an answer for this, so she dragged him back inside; resolving that next time, she would meet this Severus Snape. After all, Mina knew what it was like to be feared and detested due to rumors, but she was slowly turning that all around. She was confident in her belief that there was good in everyone.

Her opportunity came on Halloween. It fell on a Hogsmeade weekend and Mina had feigned illness to stay at the castle. So, wandering the halls seemed to be the interesting thing to do with her time. As luck would have it, Mina happened to stumble right into the aforementioned Snape.

"Watch were you're going, mudblood." He muttered angrily, not looking to see who she was.

"Actually my name is Mina, not mudblood and if you're referring to my bloodlines with that comment, they are what you call pure." She paused, frowning. She hadn't expected him to be like that. "You're Severus, aren't you?"

"Aren't you the daughter of that French Ambassador?" He had stopped walking and was now surveying Mina with suspicion as he tucked a worn book under his arm. Mina now had a better view of him. The boy was incredibly pale, his dark hair fell in curtains around his face.

"Quite to the point, aren't you?" She murmured, she was curious now.

"You didn't answer my question. Do you always make it a habit to engage random people in conversation?" Severus asked, his voice laced with ice and annoyance.

"Perhaps. Do you always answer a question with another question?" She replied smartly with an amused smile that Severus was beginning to find infuriating. Before he could make a snide retort she was already walking away.

"See you around, Severus." He walked back toward the Slytherin Common Room, now insulting her under his breath. She was a female. Ergo, she was a nuisance. Definitely not what he wanted to deal with- ever.

Over a month later and Mina was still going over her encounter. It was odd, but it seemed as if she had managed to see the civil side of Snape. And from what she had witnessed with other students, she was the only one who had.

It was now December, the snow covered the grounds in thick blankets, promising that winter would last a long while. Mina stood outside the Gryffindor portrait hole waiting for Remus to come out. When the painting at last swung aside, Mina was surprised to find Sirius emerging from behind the canvas.

"Where's Remus? He was supposed to go to Hogsmeade with me..." She trailed off. Sirius was looking much too innocent.

"He wasn't feeling well. What're you doing? It's cold out- there's snow and everything!" Sirius exclaimed. Mina rolled her eyes in amusement and pushed Sirius down to the Great Hall.

"I'll be fine." She replied distractedly and cut off further protests with a wave of her hand.

The cobbled streets of Hogsmeade were unusually empty that day; everyone seemed to share the universal notion of wanting to be indoors where it was warm. Everyone except Mina, that is. The snow had begun to fall again, large flakes now that fell into her hair as she twirled around delighting in the cold weather. Sirius stopped her with the suggestion of getting butterbeers.

"Don't you ever go to the Quidditch games, Mina?" Sirius asked once they had settled at a table with their drinks.

"No, I'm not overly fond of it. Flying, I'm ashamed to say, frightens me. Therefore, Quidditch holds no interest for me."

"It's not so bad, you should go flying with me sometime." Mina raised an eyebrow as if to say 'yeah right'.

"Are you going home fore Christmas, Sirius?" Mina asked wanting to discourage him from the subject of brooms and also out of curiosity. Almost everyone knew of Sirius's familial issues. And of course, James and Peter were going home. Sirius would be left with Remus, who spent most of his time buried in a book.

"No, Regulus will be though." Although his face remained impassive and his stance acted as though he didn't care, Mina caught the bitterness and hint of anger in his voice.

"Well, that's great then! You can keep me company. My mother's off on one of her drunken escapades again somewhere in the Bahamas, Christian- my older brother- is at the estate in France, and my father has business to attend to in Belgium." Sirius did seem genuinely cheered by the thought of having someone to spend the holidays with.

The sky was darkening outside, the early nightfall beginning. The pair walked in silence for a while, until Sirius began to notice a slightly blue tinge to Mina's pale face.

"You _are_ freezing aren't you?" He asked, concerned for his friend. "You'll catch your death out here. C'mon, let's get you a bit warmer." Sirius had pulled off his fine velvet cloak and fumbled to secure the fastenings embossed with the Black family crest.

"There you are." He told her, rubbing her arms to make her warmer. Mina gave him an amused smile, surprisingly touched that he cared about her well-being. The smile left her face as Sirius leaned closer to her. The dominoes he had set up that day -starting with Remus's absence- fell one by one into place. He leaned down to kiss her, pressing his lips swiftly and sweetly against her own.

"So," Sirius said after he let her go, "do you want to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend, and the weekend after that...and the weekend after that?" He grinned when she actually nodded in response. In a short time they reached the castle and approaching the doors, Sirius turned with a fiendish grin in place.

I guess I'll see you around then?" Sirius asked. "I've got a date with the Hufflepuff prefect in an hour." Mina immediately regained her senses and before Sirius could get inside, a snowball had slammed into the back of his neck. Shivering he turned, and lunged for Mina. Mina started to run but was grabbed around the waist. She was lifted into the air and Sirius turned her to face him and then proceeded to spin wildly with her in his arms. The cloak swirled our behind her and Sirius thought she had never looked lovelier than in that moment. He stole another kiss from her before setting her down. Mina looked around spotting the cloak now lying in the snow. Frowning in dismay, Mina swept it off the ground.

"I'm so sorry, I'm afraid I've ruined your lovely cloak."

"Don't worry about it. And I was joking about the Hufflepuff thing. I was just being a git."

"That you are, Sirius." She retorted with a half-smile.

Christmas morning came. Sirius awoke to find at the foot of his bed, a large box amongst all the others. Opening it, he found black cloth. This confused Sirius. Flipping over the box, a note was revealed.

'Once again, I'm truly sorry about your old cloak. Maybe when you wear this one, you'll think of me.' He picked up the soft material, discovering that this gift was much better and much more expensive than the old cloak. Sirius couldn't believe she would pay such a price for a simple cloak.

Something was glittering out of the corner of her eye. Mina turned to find a box wrapped in gold paper tied with a red ribbon. She knew immediately of it's origins. Carefully slipping the box out of its wrappings, Mina opened it to find a golden rose attached to a fine gold chain, underneath lay a sprig of mistletoe. Fastening it about her neck, Mina stuck the mistletoe in her pocket and hurried off to find Sirius. And so their strange affair continued.


End file.
